Authors: Rebecca Joyce
“Just when I thought my life couldn’t get anymore fucked up. What the hell am I supposed to do with two freakin’ dads? And just where in the hell have they been for the last twenty-eight years? Fuck!” Emma ranted as she made her way to the barn.
The bright sunshine felt good on her skin as she allowed the warmth to wrap her in its blanket. She had survived many things in her life, but this took the cake.
It was one thing to live the life you were dealt and hope for something better instead of the hell she was given, but to actually find out that not one but two men existed and they had chosen to walk away, just infuriated her. She had watched her mother for years tending to Glenn’s every wish and demand. She had watched as he beat her repeatedly, and that was just the physical abuse. She gave that asshole credit, though. Glenn always knew where to hit her mother, for no one had ever known. But it was the mental abuse that hurt her mother the worst.
She remembered listening to Glenn call her mother a worthless whore over and over, telling her how she was incapable of loving anyone, and how bad she was at mothering her daughter. The McKenzie household was not by any means a loving home. On the outside, they portrayed the loving family, but behind closed doors, hell reigned.
When things got too bad at home, she remembered sneaking out, running to her saviors. The Quinn brothers never refused her. Many nights she would shimmy up a ladder into Tate’s or Travis’s room, seeking shelter. The windows were always open, and when she gently knocked, they would be there to open the window and allow her safe passage. She remembered how when Tucker found out, he soon moved into Travis’s room, just so he could be there to help whenever the need arose, and it did often. After a while, Mr. Quinn found out, and actually had a key made for her and set up a room just for her, that way she would always have a safe place to sleep.
She remembered the day when Glenn found out. He beat her till she had black and blue marks all down her legs. She hurt so bad she didn’t leave her room for a week. That was, until Mr. Quinn showed up asking to see her. When her mother let him in the room, he picked her up and carried her, with her mother in tow, back to his house. It didn’t take more than three days for Glenn to find them, and when he showed up, he brought the sheriff. Since her mother refused to press charges, Emma and her mother were forced to move back home with the devil.
It wasn’t till later that she found out that the sheriff had threatened Glenn that if he ever saw another mark on her, he would personally haul his ass to jail. After that Glenn never touched her again, but her mother was another story. He had made life hell for Isabella McKenzie.
This was all just too much. She couldn’t think anymore. Too many things were coming to light, and her life was in utter chaos.
Trying to focus on what she could handle, she took her time as she walked toward the barn.
The first thing I need to do is allow Doc—or should I start calling him Dad?
Not going there…Move on, Emma. I need to allow Doc to do that hypnosis thing he wants to do. The sooner I find out the identity of this asshole who is after me, the better. As for the other, I don’t ever want to know.
The doors to the barn were standing wide open, and Emma could hear Rusty moving around. She only hoped that Tabitha was giving him a hard time. That little girl loved Rusty, but boy could she give him a run for his money.
Making her way inside, she tripped and almost fell, but caught a hold of one of the tacks. “What the hell?” she muttered. Turning to see what tripped her, she noticed the still body lying at her feet. Blood surrounded the head, and the body was not moving. Emma quickly leaned down to check for a pulse, and when she did, she realized that it was Rusty. “Rusty?”
“Ouch… Man, I think I bumped my head.” He moaned, waking slowly.
“Rusty, where is Tabitha?”
“No clue, Em,” he answered, trying to get up, but couldn’t. “I was comin’ into the barn to saddle Cinderella for her, knowing she would want to ride after school. Whoa,” he said, and then sat back down. “I think I’m gonna sit here for a minute, if you don’t mind. What the hell happened?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing. I came in here to make sure Tabby wasn’t giving you too much trouble.”
“Oh, short pint ain’t so bad, just a ball of combustible energy. Better go find her. God knows what she is getting into.” Rusty smiled, leaning against the barn wall.
“Rusty, when you can, go get the boys and have Doc take a look at your head. He’s at the house.”
“Will do, Emma. Thanks.”
Emma stood, and all thoughts turned to her daughter. “Tabitha! Where are you?” she yelled, walking down the length of the barn, past the stalls, heading for the tack room. She stopped when she heard her.
“I want my mommy!”
“One more word, you little shit, and I backhand you.”
Emma froze. She knew that voice.
It couldn’t be.
Not him!
“Go ahead and my daddies are gonna whip your butt!” her daughter shouted back.
Oh God, she was so going to have to have a conversation with her daughter concerning that mouth of hers, but for right now, she had never been prouder of her daughter’s spirit. Tabitha was a true Quinn. Placing her hand on the door, she slowly turned the knob to find a man holding Tabitha by the straps of her little pink overhauls, hand raised, ready to hit.
“Lay one finger on my daughter, you son of a bitch, and I will kill you with my bare hands.”
* * * *
“I don’t understand. Someone please tell me what the hell is going on,” Tucker asked the Jenkins brothers.
Andrew Jenkins took a deep breath. He looked at his brother, who nodded and began, “It all started when our parents informed us of the trust. You see, to be a direct descendant of the founding fathers of Treasure Cove is not easy, as you boys are probably well aware of. When the founding families moved and created Treasure Cove, they did so with one specific idea in mind, to control and prohibit the local, state, and federal government to interfere with their particular way of life. So, when the families began purchasing the land around this area, they made sure that not only was the land specifically theirs, but water and mineral rights also. Then to complicate matters, they created the Treasure Charter, where only a first-born direct descendant could inherit the land from family to family. A lot of the families at the time didn’t like the idea of excluding the other children, so they came up with ménage families. It worked well, because after the first winter, a lot of the men died due to influenza, leaving women and children without husbands and fathers.
“The ménage lifestyle started from there, and in order to include all the children, all male children had to marry the same woman. As for the female children, they were married off to other wealthy families. But if a female child was the only child of a ménage relationship, then she was married off to another family within the Charter. Now, if no descendant was available, then and only then could an outsider purchase the land, but that never really happened, because the Charter would purchase the land before it ever hit the market.”
Matthew cleared his throat and continued, “Now this is where Emma comes into play. Within the Jenkins family, Andrew and I are the last recognized remaining descendants of the Jenkins line. When we refused to marry Katherine Olsen, we forfeited out rights to the Jenkins land and fortune. This is where its gets interesting…How she found out, we don’t know, but our mother knew about Emma. Now, try and understand, for our mother and father to claim Emma as their biological granddaughter, there had to have been a DNA test. When Isabella brought me the legal documents to the Jenkins land, I specifically asked if she allowed a DNA test to occur. She said no. I know my mother. There would be no way in hell that she would sign over the Jenkins property to Emma unless she had undeniable proof. So that begs the question, who authorized the DNA test?”
“It could have been Glenn. According to Margaret when I talked with her, she said that when Glenn found out you two were Emma’s fathers he became suspicious and started asking a lot of questions. Since he was legally married to Isabella, he could have authorized the test,” Braxton informed the group.
“That makes sense, but you must understand, the DNA test did state that Emma is our biological daughter, and since she has married you boys, Emma is now one of the wealthiest women in Treasure Cove. Your daughter, our granddaughter, stands to inherit over ten billion dollars,” Doc Jenkins advised.
“Holy shit!” Tucker stated as Tate whistled.
“But according to the Charter, only the land is transferred,” Travis said.
“That’s not entirely true. When Andrew and I forfeited our rights, Emma got everything, the land, the houses, the mineral rights, the whole caboodle! Emma alone is worth over 6.8 billion. At least that was the last estimate from the Charter quarterly. That’s not including your shares that will pass to your oldest child, Tabitha.”
“So this is all about the money?” Travis asked.
“Not really. This is about the town Charter. You see, that’s why our families have been very particular about whom we marry. According to what I found out, you boys were never supposed to marry Emma. You were supposed to marry a woman by the name of Bethany Walters, but she up and married some guy in her junior year of college. You see, the founding fathers of this town were some sick individuals. They wanted this town to prosper, and technically it has, that is until Andrew and I found out that our lives were already prearranged. When we refused to marry Ms. Olsen, our parents were left with no choice but to cut us off. But thanks to Emma, our parents found a loophole.
The Charter of Treasure Cove specifically states that if a descendant refuses, they get nothing. Then, if no direct descendant can be found, everything is turned over to the Charter, which is controlled by a central unit.”
“Who controls the Charter?” Travis asked.
“That I haven’t been able to find out, but I am still looking.”
“So what happens now?” Tate asked.
“Now, nothing. Emma has been identified as our biological daughter. You married Emma, so therefore everything is hers,” Matthew said stoically.
“Wait a minute…What do you mean everything is Emma’s?” Travis said as his gut start to turn. Something inside him said he was not going to like what he was about to hear.
“Exactly what I said…Everything, all the land, the money, the mineral rights, is Emma’s. Upon marriage, everything is turned over to the first wife. If the first wife dies before her children reach maturity, everything goes into a trust till that time arises. The men control nothing.”
“You’re shittin’ me!” Travis shouted.
“Fuck that!” Tucker screamed.
“Wow,” Tate muttered, running his hands through his hair.
“You mean to tell me that since your father’s death, you haven’t noticed anything strange with the accounts regarding this ranch?” Matthew asked, shocked.
“No…Like everyone else in this ranching community, we have an accountant who handles everything. We turn in the bills, they pay them, and as long as there was cash in the bank, we never questioned anything,” Travis stated angrily. “Fuck! I am so going to fire that piece of shit when I see his ass. I have not worked my hands to the fucking bone for nothing. This land is ours!”
“Calm down, Trav, yelling at everyone isn’t going to help solve this shit. We need to work together on this,” Tate said.
“You’re right. I am currently trying to get a copy of the original Charter. From that document, I can see if there are any legal circumstances that can be done to reverse it. You see, with the Charter in play, technically no one in Treasure Cove owns anything. Only the person controlling the trust does. That is the big mystery that Glenn happened upon. That’s why this mystery man wants Emma. If he gets his hands on Emma or Tabitha, he controls a big chunk of Treasure Cove.”
Just then, the slamming of the screen door interrupted the conversation, as they all turned to see Rusty walk in, holding his head as blood dripped down his face.
“What the hell happened to you?” Travis shouted.
Emma stood frozen. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had to be seeing things. She remembered every detail, every moment, from his laughter to his warm embraces, every smile, every caress, everything. He had been such a good man, a loving man, yet the man before her was harsher, more dangerous than she remembered.
“It’s nice to see you again, darling. I missed you.”
Oh, this wasn’t happening.
No, no, no! It can’t be him…not him!
“Kyle?”
“Glad you remembered me, darling. I was worried there for a while when I heard you married those cowboys. I was hoping for a nicer reunion, but since it seems you can’t follow simple instructions, I had to deviate. I must say, you look extremely well. Still beautiful as ever.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“For the land, my darling, it’s always been about the land. Well, that and to take back what once belonged to my family. You see, Emma, you have something that belongs to me, and I want it back.”
“I never spent a dime of your insurance money. I can give it all back to you, every penny.”
“Oh no, darling, I’m not talking about my pension, I am talking about the trust that you inherited. You see, Emma, when those two idiots didn’t marry your mother, the trust that was once theirs passed to you. Then, to top everything off, you went and married those cowboys…who in turn made you a slut, but a very wealthy slut. What you inherited from your biological fathers was not legally theirs, it was mine. That trust belonged to my family, and I want it back.”
“I don’t have any money. Nothing.”
“Oh, but you do, darling. You have a lot more than you believe. I have been watching you from the very beginning, my darling Emma. From the moment Mother told me of my family history, I have been watching you. It took some doing, but I finally found you.”
This was unreal. She couldn’t believe this was happening. The man before her was not whom she remembered. He was vile, evil, and the look in his eyes told her that if she made one wrong move, she and Tabitha were going to be in a lot of trouble. “I don’t understand. Your parents were from Albany. You weren’t raised in Montana.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. My family came from Treasure Cove. When my grandfather married my grandmother, they never conceived. So my grandfather took it upon himself to have an affair. Well, as the story goes, a bastard was born. My grandfather thought he had his heir, but thanks to the founding fathers of this pissant town, only the biological children can claim the inheritance. So when dear ole granddad couldn’t get his wife to accept the child, he had her killed, and then tried to pass off the child as theirs. But, you see, this town has eyes. When the powers that be demanded a DNA test to verify the legitimacy of the child, it came back negative. It looked like dear ole granddad couldn’t even get a whore pregnant. So, when granddad died, everything he owned reverted back to the town. But, you see, that DNA was wrong. My dad was the son of Patrick McKenzie.”
“Oh my God!” she whispered. “You’re Glenn McKenzie’s son.”
“Very good, my darling. You catch on fast.”
“Momma, I wanna go,” Tabitha said quietly, trying to break free of his hold.
“Shut it, you brat!” Kyle said, shaking Tabitha till she started to whimper.
“Don’t you hurt her!” Emma screamed as she lunged for Kyle. She watched in horror as Kyle threw Tabitha against the wall so he could defend himself from her attack. The moment she was within range, he grabbed a hold of her, pulling her in close. “Wrong move, darling, you shouldn’t have done that,” he said as Emma felt a sharp stick to her neck, and then everything went black.
* * * *
The guys, along with Emma’s fathers, rushed to help Rusty find a seat. Tucker went to grab a wet cloth, while Doc reached for his bag.
“Where’s Emma?” Travis asked.
“In the barn, looking for Tabby.”
“Doc, stay with Rusty,” Travis shouted as he, his brothers, Braxton, and Matthew walked into the living room, each grabbing a gun, and then made their way toward the barn. “Fan out. No one leaves,” Travis informed them as he entered through the double doors.
The barn was eerily quiet. Not even the livestock were making noise. They could see the blood from Rusty’s wound on the floor, along with a wrench splattered with blood. Walking over the weapon, he moved down the long walk, past the stalls, when he heard her whimpering.
Running toward the tack room, Tucker reached the door first and kicked it open to find Tabitha lying on her side in a small ball, crying.
Rushing to her side, he quickly picked her up and held her tightly. “I’ve got ya, Tabby. It’s all right,” he cooed as his brothers each petted her.
“Baby girl, where’s Momma?” Travis asked, wiping her tears.
“He kilt Momma.” She cried harder, clinging to Tucker. “He kilt’d her!” she screamed.
“Who, Tabitha?” Braxton said, brushing her hair from her face.
“Tabitha, baby, you have to tell us who hurt Mommy,” Tate said, rubbing her back. But Tabitha was not listening to anyone. Her uncontrollable sobs were heart wrenching, and it broke the brothers’ heart, but somehow, they had to get her to stop.
While Tucker tried unsuccessfully to stop Tabitha’s cries, Travis and Tate, along with Braxton and Matthew, began to search the rest of the barn. Within minutes, they returned, each saying the same thing—that Emma was nowhere to be found.
* * * *
Her body felt like lead. Her head was spinning, and her heart was beating too fast. She had no idea where she was, and she knew she was in trouble. Regardless of her situation, blind fury fueled her veins.
She was furious.
She knew she had been drugged, and that only pissed her off even more. Who in the hell did he think he was? Of all the people in the world she thought capable of being evil, Kyle was that last person on earth. It had never occurred to her, not in a million years, yet she had been wrong. And to make matters worse, this was all over money.
She had to think. She had to clear her mind and think of a way out of this, but first she had to get her body working. Whatever drug he had injected her with had not knocked her out. It restricted the use of her body, but not her brain.
When he reached the car, he dumped her body in the front seat, and quickly sped off the property. The main problem was that she had no idea where he was taking her, or what he was planning to do.
She needed answers. Trying to talk was impossible. Nothing came out.
“You can’t talk yet, darling. The drugs won’t wear off for a while. I am sorry I had to inject you, but I needed you compliant,” he said running his hand along her check, in a loving gesture.
I’ll show you compliant…while I chop of your balls and feed them to the vultures!
“Time to take you back down memory lane, my darling,” he said, turning toward an open field. It was then that Emma knew where she was, where this horrible nightmare all began…the pond.
Emma watched in horror as the car made its way closer to the water. Her heart started beating faster. She thought for sure it was going to beat out of her chest. Perspiration began beading down her forehead. Her hands became instantly clammy.
Every emotion she had been desperately trying to suppress was now rushing back. Fear, desperation, and panic were some of them, but it was pure, unadulterated anger that raged. She was so angry. Angry at Kyle for terrorizing her, angry at Kyle for hurting her baby, angry that because of him, she had been running. But mostly she was angry because she knew in that instant that it had been him. He was the one who had attacked her all those years ago. It was his greed and desperation that drove him to be the vilest of creatures.
Think, Emma! You can dwell later, but right now, you have to find a way out of this mess.
“I was thinking, darling, that when we buy our first house, it should be somewhere close to that little brat of yours. I mean, I know you say you love that demon, so I will allow you to see it on occasion, but seriously, darling, I will expect some respect out of our children,” Kyle said as he drove down the long dirt road.
If you think for one minute that I am going to allow you to touch me, you’ve got another think coming, you sick bastard.
Oh, she was certain of one thing. He was delusional!
“Your divorce is going to be easy to take care of. I figure those cowboys of yours will want to keep the brat, and that’s fine. You’ll be too busy with my sons that you will be giving me. But they get nothing else.
“Seriously, Emma, what were you thinking? Cowboys? Darling, you could do so much better, and of course you did, when I walked into your life. Now, I can forgive you for running away, but you will have to be punished for not doing as you were told. I must have you obeying me at all times, darling. But don’t worry. We can take care of your punishment right off, that way we can enjoy the rest of the night,” he said, coming to a stop.
Emma watched as he shut of the engine, pocketed the keys, and got out. He opened her door and yanked her from the seat, dragging her to the sandy bank of the pond. There she found a blanket already laid out with a black bag, ropes, handcuffs, and a ball gag.
Oh shit! Okay, boys, you can show up any time now.
He laid her on the blanket, grabbing the ropes. “I think these can wait since you still can’t move. Besides, I would rather feel you loving me instead of being tied up.” She watched as he removed his shirt. She was shocked to find his torso marred with scars. Then, realizing what he was about to do to her, she smiled.
I can move. About time!
“Are you laughing at me?”
Emma just smiled again.
Yes, you sick fuck! I am plotting the many ways to disembowel your ass with a twig!
But the smile was quickly forgotten when Kyle loomed over her and slapped her hard across the face. “Let the punishment begin, then.”
* * * *
The brothers and Sheriff Connelly were all mounted up when the doc and Matthew came out of the house. They watched as the older men made their way toward them. “Where are you guys going first?” Matthew asked.
“We’re gonna check the property. If she ain’t here, then we’re gonna fan out and head to the neighboring ranches. He couldn’t have gotten far. Braxton has already called into the office and the boys over there are combing the town. You just keep an eye on your granddaughter. Not a scratch, Doc, I mean it,” Travis said, pulling on his reins and galloping away.
“Don’t worry so much, Doc. We got the easy job.” Tucker smiled as he soon took off.
“She likes
The Lion King
. It calms her, and for God’s sake, no sugar! That girl will be bouncing all over the place within twenty minutes,” Tate informed him and was soon following his brothers.
“I feel like I should be doing something more,” Doc said, looking at Matthew.
“I think we have done enough already. That girl hates us. Let’s just take care of Tabitha and watch
The
Lion King
.”
* * * *
The brothers covered ground quickly, checking every possible place they could think of. It didn’t take long before the ranch hands had all mounted up, and soon a posse of men scoured the area for one female. But with over a thousand acres, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Travis could see from his vantage point, the ranch was a treasure cove of valleys, brush, and dens. It could be possible for one to hide out for weeks without being noticed, but he and his brothers had lived their whole lives here, and there wasn’t much they hadn’t discovered. So, taking that into account, they each decided to split up and cover the ground quicker, thinking that if one of them found Emma first, they would notify the others immediately. But as they were getting ready to split up, a bloodcurdling scream cut through the air.
* * * *
Emma tried not to scream, but when that leather whip touched her back for the third time, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. The slashing pain reached down to her bones, and it felt like she was being sliced alive.
She handled being slapped across the face, which stung, with nothing more than a scornful look. Being whipped with a leather belt…well, she figured it wasn’t that bad. Her momma on more than one occasion had whipped her butt as a child for one infraction or another and she had survived, but nothing could have prepared her for that bull whip. When the first slash hit, it was more shock than pain that registered.
Growing up near a cattle ranch, she had seen the ranch hands use these whips on a daily basis, but never in her mind had she thought of how it would feel to have that thin piece of leather slash across her backside. She figured that if the cattle could stand it, she could, too.
She was wrong…way wrong.
The moment the tip of the whip hit her for a second time, she yelled, “You asshole!” The sting she could handle, but it was the immediate spreading of pain that tried to consume her. A pain unlike anything she had ever experienced robbed her of her senses, and it was moving swiftly through her body so fast she couldn’t control it. Sweat began to bead over her body, her heart raced, adrenaline quickly filling her veins, but somewhere within her body her brain misfired somehow, because the part where she was hoping to pass out, well…it never happened.
She was left to the mercy of the sick bastard wielding the whip, and from the look on his face, he was just getting started. She watched from her position on the blanket as he flicked the whip in the air, sending an ominous crack into the air.
He was enjoying himself. The smile on his face said it all. She watched as he played with that whip as if it were a child’s toy, and for the first time in a very long time, Emma was deathly afraid of what he was going to do. She knew he had other things in that black bag of his, because that was where he had pulled the belt and the whip from. But she had no clue what else was in there, and quite frankly she didn’t want to know.
Her hands were bound tightly to the stakes, along with her feet. Sprawled out flat on her stomach, she was naked, angry, sore, and now bleeding. She knew the boys would be looking for her, and that gave her hope, but until they found her, she was on her own.
“I’m sorry about this entire situation, darling, but soon I won’t have to punish you like this. Soon you will do exactly as I say without fail, eager to please me,” Kyle said, flicking the whip.
“I hope your dick gets infested with fleas! You sick piece of shit.” Emma screamed her rage out at him. “Didn’t your momma teach you any manners? If you think for one second that I will ever obey you, boy howdy, you have another think coming. I would rather sell my soul to the devil himself before I ever do anything you tell me to do.”
“But, darling, haven’t you figured it out? I am that very devil,” he said, raising his hand to flick the whip at her.
Every muscle inside Emma tensed, readying herself for the pain that she knew was about to come when a crack filled the air.
Holding her breath, Emma watched as Kyle stood motionless, as if he fought to move against some unseen object. Then, very slowly, his blue shirt became darker and darker. She watched as he fell to his knees then, as if her nightmare couldn’t get any worse, another crack split the air and Kyle fell backward with a small hole in his forehead.
Kicking their horses in to gear, Travis, Tucker, and Tate reached the pond just as Kyle fell to the ground.
Jumping from their horses, they ran to Emma, who was crying uncontrollably.
“Son of a bitch!” Tate said, reaching Emma first. “That motherfucker whipped her.”
“He better be glad his ass is dead, ’cause I would have torn him apart with my bare hands,” Tucker replied, removing the binds from her hands.
“We need to hurry. I don’t know who shot that fucker, but my guess he is still out there. I want Emma home where she is safe,” Travis replied as he removed the last of the rope around her ankles. They tried to be as careful as possible with her as they wrapped her in the blanket she once laid upon and quickly had her settled upon Travis’s horse.
“Where the hell did that shot come from?” Tucker asked, gun out, cocked and ready.
“From the northeast I think, near the main house,” Tate said, climbing back onto his horse.
“Let’s get Emma back to the house so Doc can take a look at her,” Travis said hurriedly as he turned his horse and headed for home.